Boom
by Qweb
Summary: The caller said, "Warn Detective Williams that there's a bomb in his car." And Danny had just left the office with his daughter.   Danny whump. Camaro whump. Child in danger. A little h/c, even.
1. Chapter 1

**Boom**

**Hawaii Five-0 Fanfic with the third meanest cliffhanger I can think of. This was written before the sarin poisoning episode.  
><strong>**I don't own the characters. I'd be nicer to them if I did.**

**By Karen E. Weber**

"Time to go, monkey."

Detective Danny Williams of the governor's Hawaii Five-0 task force straightened the paperwork on his desk. Sitting on the opposite side of his desk, his daughter Grace mimicked him, making a neat pile of her homework and then filing it in her backpack at the same moment Danny put his into his desk drawer.

They gave each other simultaneous nods of accomplishment; and then grinned.

"Weekend!" Grace said gleefully, as she slung her bulky backpack over her shoulder.

Danny extended his hand and walked his daughter out of his office.

"We're going now," he announced to his teammates, who were studying photos on the Surface Table's built-in computer screen.

"Have fun." Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett smiled at the little girl.

"We will," she answered pertly.

Chin Ho Kelly and his cousin Kono Kalakaua watched the father and daughter leave.

"Are we almost done?" Kono asked. "My mother's expecting me for dinner tonight."

Chin sighed, wishing he was still welcome at the family table. Kono's mother was a great cook.

Steve promised they were almost finished. He just had one more set of photos he wanted to go over.

They were bent over the table again, when Chin's cell phone rang. The caller's voice was obscured by noise, as if someone was rubbing sandpaper over the microphone. But his words were plain and frightening.

"Warn Detective Williams that there's a bomb in his car."

Chin covered the phone. "Steve, there's a bomb in Danny's car!"

Already running out the door, Steve snatched out his phone and speed-dialed his partner.

"Who is this?" Chin demanded, as Kono called the Honolulu Police department to trace the call on Chin's phone. "Why would someone plant a bomb in Danny's car?"

"Because they thought it belonged to McGarrett," the caller answered. This made chilling sense, because Steve drove the silver Camaro almost as much as Danny did. "If it was McGarrett, I would not have worried. But Detective Williams and I have a bond of trust."

The call ended, too soon for a trace. Chin and Kono ran for the door.

Danny opened the passenger door for his daughter and walked round to open the driver's door while she took off her backpack. Before he could get in, his phone rang.

"What? You couldn't live without me for five minutes?" he demanded, seeing Steve's name on the caller ID.

"Don't get in your car! There's a bomb in your car!"

"Grace!" Danny barked, stopping his daughter before she could climb in the car. "Don't get in the car! Don't touch the door! Come here, quick!"

Obedient to the snap of command, Grace ran to her father, but as she passed the driver's door, her awkward backpack bumped it. It slowly began to swing shut.

Danny grabbed his daughter's arm, yanking her off her feet and making her drop her backpack. Cradling her against his chest, he dove for cover behind a sturdy pickup — Steve's Silverado, he realized.

The Camaro's door clicked shut.

Boom!

— H50 —

Halfway down the stairs, Steve heard the roar and felt the building shake.

He burst into the garage. "Danny! Grace!"

The once silver Camaro was a blackened, smoking ruin. The windows were blown out and the driver's door was missing entirely.

"Danny!" Steve called desperately.

"Steve, help." The thin, strained voice belonged to Danny's daughter.

Behind his own sturdy Silverado, now decorated with new dents and scratches, Steve found his partner on top of Grace, beneath the missing door of the Camaro. Blown off its hinges, the door had pinwheeled over the bed of the truck and dropped on Danny.

Steve could only see Danny's unmoving legs and one small foot peeking out from under him.

"Grace?"

"Steve, daddy's hurt."

The commander swallowed hard. "Are you OK?" he asked the girl.

"I can't breathe," she answered.

Of course not, she had 200-plus pounds on her chest.

"Hang on, honey, we'll get this door off you."

Chin and Kono had caught up. She called for help while Chin edged around the Silverado. He and Steve lifted the door straight up; then tilted it into the bed of the pickup out of the way.

Now they could see Danny sprawled protectively on top of his daughter. His right hand still cradled her head and neck, protecting her in the plunge to the concrete. His other hand looked bruised where it lay slack by his head. Steve guessed he'd futilely raised his hand to protect his head from the falling door.

"Grace, are you sure you're all right?" Chin asked. "You're bleeding."

Grace rubbed at her forehead, smearing the blood. "I'm not bleeding. Daddy's bleeding," she said sadly.

Chin reached to check Danny's carotid pulse.

"Daddy's still alive. He's breathing in my ear," Grace said, almost angry that they could think otherwise.

Chin stroked her hair.

Steve rubbed his chin. He knew Danny's first main concern would be to get his daughter out of there, now! But the Five-0 commander had different priorities.

"Grace, can you breathe now?" he asked. "Can you stay there for a few more minutes? I'd rather not move your father until the paramedics get here."

"I'm OK," she said stoutly. "I can wait."

"Brave. Like your father," Steve said.

Kono guided the Emergency Medical Services ambulance as it backed into the garage.

Paramedic Ab Riley vaulted out of the driver's seat. The EMT had the exuberance of a Labrador puppy, which sat oddly with his linebacker's build, but he was a highly skilled professional. His searching gaze swept across the three visible Five-0 members and he knew that Danny Williams must be the victim. He didn't expect the little girl.

"Hello!" he exclaimed as he knelt beside them.

"Ab, this is Danny's daughter Grace," Steve said. "Grace, this is Ab Riley, the best paramedic I know."

"What happened?" Riley asked as his partner, Margrette Chandler, handed him equipment. A tall, lean, quiet woman, Chandler showed her Viking heritage in her blonde hair and her square jaw. "I mean, obviously the car exploded," Riley continued.

"The door flew off and fell on Danny," Chin said succinctly.

"But he protected his little girl, didn't he?" Riley said in admiration. "Margie, check Grace, please."

Riley's rookie partner replaced Chin beside Grace's head. She checked the girl's vital signs while Riley delicately felt around Danny's head, neck and spine. The unconscious man moaned when Riley touched his shoulder. Reacting to pain was actually a good sign.

"Collar bone's broken. I don't feel any other breaks or displacement," Riley murmured. He thought best when he talked aloud, but he'd stick to technical jargon if he thought he'd frighten the spectators. "There's a sizeable lump on his head. Two, in fact. One on the back and one opposite on his forehead. I can't detect any depression or damage in the skull. That's all good," he said, winking at Grace. "Vitals look pretty good, but I can't check his eyes from this angle."

"Can we get Grace out?" Kono asked.

Rile looked at his partner who rattled off the girl's vital signs — all normal. Well, respiration was a little labored, but that was to be expected with her father on top of her.

"I want to put a neck brace and a backboard on Danny, just in case," he reassured Grace. "Then we can move him."

With quick, precise movements, he immobilized Danny's injuries and all the time he kept up a chatty conversation with Grace.

"I know you. You're the one who helped Daddy …" Grace hesitated, not knowing how to phrase it.

"I helped him the last time he was blown up," Riley said cheerfully. "See, you shouldn't worry. Your dad has experience in this."

That actually drew a giggle from the girl. "What's Ab short for?" she asked.

A doleful expression crossed Riley's face. "My parents named me Absalom. I don't like it much."

"Maybe you should use your middle name," the girl suggested.

Riley winced and shook his head. "It's even worse. It's Hezekiah."

"I'm sorry," Grace said.

"If my parents wanted to give me a Biblical name, I wish they'd picked something more common. Like Daniel," he said, patting his patient's shoulder.

"Daddy doesn't like Daniel," Grace said.

"No?"

"He says people only call him Daniel when he's in trouble."

"I guess I'll have to call him Daniel, then," Riley confided. "He's always in trouble when I see him."

When Riley had Danny fastened to the backboard, the paramedics and the Five-0 officers lifted him off his daughter and turned him face up. Chandler took Grace to the ambulance out of earshot, while Riley checked the reaction of Danny's pupils.

"Deep concussion, but no sign of a skull fracture," he told Steve. "I'd say the door caught him a glancing blow and bounced his head off the concrete."

"Will he be all right?"

"Head injuries are tricky," the paramedic said cautiously. Then he shrugged and added with optimism, "He's Danny, Of course he'll be all right."

"Why don't we get him to the hospital and find out?" Chandler suggested.

"Good point." The EMTs fastened the backboard on the stretcher and lifted it into the back of the ambulance. Riley joined Danny and Grace in the back and let his partner take the wheel.

"You'd better go, boss. Grace needs someone with her and you need to call her mother. Kono and I will organize the crime scene, then we'll catch up to you at the hospital."

"Right," Steve agreed. He pulled out his keys. He looked left at Danny's smoking Camaro and right at his shrapnel-peppered Silverado that was now part of the crime scene. He threw up his hands in a gesture he must have picked up from his partner, Chin thought with a grin. "I can't go anywhere. I've got no car!"

Chin sobered abruptly, as he realized that Steve didn't know everything the caller had said. Hesitantly, the investigator said, "Boss, the caller said the bomb was meant for you. The bomber thought the Camaro was your car."

The ex-Navy SEAL felt his knees go weak and had to lean on a concrete pillar for support. Danny — and Grace! — had almost been killed because of him? Because, as Danny had said, he was a control freak and hated to let anyone else drive?

Chin read his mind like a book (a simple book, with big pictures). "Steve, it's not your fault. It's the bomber's fault."

"Here, boss, take my car." Kono offered her keys, demonstrating her faith in McGarrett. It was a touching display because she loved her little red compact.

"Are you sure you want to?" Steve asked.

"I'm not afraid of bombers," she answered. "Just don't go driving on the sidewalk again."

"That was once," Steve protested, but he felt better. With a pang he realized that, thanks to Danny, he didn't feel right if he didn't get his daily dose of argument.

— H50 —

Reunited with uninjured Grace at the hospital, Steve tried to call Rachel Edwards, but had to leave a message on her voicemail. He made it as mild as possible, but "pick up your daughter at the hospital" was pretty alarming.

"She probably turned her phone off," Grace said. "She and Stan were going out to dinner with important investors."

Steve wanted to pace as he waited to hear about Danny, but Grace clung to him for comfort, so he sat and worried. When they arrived, Chin and Kono did the pacing for him. Kono kept walking to the water fountain at the end of the hall, taking a sip of water, and walking back. She didn't want the water; the fountain was just a destination. Chin patrolled the hall, stopping to peruse each picture and read every posted notice. When he finished a circuit, he could start over, because he hadn't taken in anything he'd seen.

When the doctor came out, the waiting foursome leaped to their feet.

"The tests are negative," the young black man reassured them instantly. "There's no fracture and no sign of intercranial bleeding. However, he's deeply unconscious. I want to keep him overnight for observation."

"Can we stay with him?" Steve asked, ready to wave "immunity and means" at the doctor if he had to.

"Yes, you may," Dr. Sampson answered, without having to be threatened. "As long as you stay out of the nurse's way. But only one at a time."

— H50 —

Rachel rushed in, dressed to the nines. Tears streaked her perfect makeup.

"Mommy!" the girl ran to her.

Rachel hugged her. "Oh, Grace, I'm so sorry. I had my phone off in the restaurant. Are you all right?"

"I'm OK but daddy's hurt," Grace said, her voice muffled by her mother's skirt.

"Danny?" she questioned her ex's friends.

"Concussion," Steve said. "He'll be OK?" That was a question directed at the doctor, as much as an answer to Rachel.

"I think so," Sampson reassured them.

"What happened? An accident?"

Steve might have prevaricated, but Grace was an honest child.

"Daddy got hit in the head when the car exploded," she said.

"Exploded?" Steve winced at Rachel's "I knew this would happen" expression.

"Someone put a bomb in Daddy's Camaro," Grace continued.

"A bomb?" Now Rachel was beginning to look angry.

Steve grabbed her arm and urged her down the hall and around a corner out of sight.

"Stay with Kono, Grace. I need to talk to your mother for a minute."

"You're hurting me!" Rachel said indignantly.

Steve released her, but when she got a look at his cold, furious eyes, Rachel shut her mouth and backed away. Without touching her again, by his mere looming presence, Steve backed her into a corner. He planted his hands on either side so she couldn't' escape and leaned close.

Rachel was afraid. She had seen Steve sipping tea, eating lobster, being charming. This was the hardened combat veteran she had only heard rumors about — rumors she had discounted as Danny's exaggerations. Now she remembered uneasily that Danny was renowned as a good judge of character.

"If I hear one word from you about trying to take away Danny's visitation privileges because of this, I am going to tell the judge how you and Grace got carjacked because of Stan's shady business dealings," Steve said with no emphasis at all, which made it all the more frightening.

"Stan didn't do anything wrong," she protested.

"He made payoffs to a government official," Steve said.

"Danny is a danger to our daughter," Rachel counterattacked. "Trouble follows him."

"Not him," Steve said bleakly. "I'm the trouble magnet."

Both his parents were murdered, his sister was kidnapped and, yes, Danny was shot within hours of their first meeting.

"The bomb wasn't meant for Danny, Rachel. It was meant for me."

Steve's self-loathing dissolved Rachel's anger and fear. "Steve."

"Rachel, you're married to a rich man. Kidnap, ransom …" A smile flickered. "… fortune hunters, gigolos — Grace faces dangers most girls don't."

"Now you sound like Danny," Rachel complained.

"Must be where I heard it. Rachel, Danny threw himself on top of Grace to protect her from the explosion. He would die to protect her, and he would die if you took her away. And it would devastate Grace, too. You know it would."

Steve's vehemence had calmed her. Vehemence was familiar to Rachel, almost comforting.

"You're right. You're right." Now she sounded like Danny. "I won't take Danny to court. I swear."

Steve smiled at her. She blinked. Could this sweet smile be on the same face that looked so scary a moment ago? "We'd better get back to the others."

Was it Rachel's imagination, or did Kono and Chin look relieved when she returned unscathed. No, must be her imagination.

Grace looked worried, too. She'd forgotten something important. She'd already been a bad girl and disobeyed her father with tragic results. Now she had to deliver his message, even if it did seem kind of mean.

"Steve," she said hesitantly. "Daddy wanted me to tell you something, if he got hurt, but I forgot."

"You've had a lot on your mind," Steve said kindly. "What is it?"

"Daddy said to tell you, it's probably not your fault."

Probably! Steve barked a laugh at the same moment tears burst from his eyes. He had to turn away to regain his composure. He leaned against the wall, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Grace!" Rachel exclaimed.

Grace was appalled. She didn't know her message would make Steve cry!

"It's OK, Rachel. It's not Grace's fault. It's just Danny getting the last word." Steve wiped his eyes. But Steve hoped it wasn't his partner's last word.

Rachel's phone beeped. She glanced at the text message. "Stan's downstairs. He had to take our guests home," she explained.

"You two had better go. I'll call you tomorrow," Steve promised.

— H50 —

About an hour after they left, the nurse came out. "Detective Williams is waking up. Dr. Sampson said you may come, if you don't say anything.

They were all waiting when Danny opened his eyes. His gaze swept past his Five-0 friends, took in the room, and finally focused on the doctor.

"I know it's a cliché," he said weakly. "But where am I?"

"Honolulu General Hospital," the doctor said.

"Honolulu?" His incredulous voice was faint, but the pitch rose decidedly even as the volume fell. As he faded into unconscious again, Danny said, "Hawaii? How the hell did I get to Hawaii?"

— H50 —

**I said it was mean, didn't I? To be continued? You bet!**


	2. Chapter 2

Boom: Part 2

**Hawaii Five-0 Fanfic. This is a Season 1 show even before Jenna shows up.  
>I don't own the characters. I'd be nicer to them if I did.<strong>

**Author's Notes: **_I appreciate all the long and lovely reviews, but I have been unable to reply because of the big error message problem. I have read them all and need more to continue. It's an addition, what can I say? Maybe this time I'll be able to answer. Thanks to the person who gave me a proper weight for Danny. I'll use that. But the 200 pounds mentioned in the story also included the weight of the car door. And the mention of "the last time" Danny got blown up is a reference to my story, "Ace in the Hole," available on this website if anyone wants to read more._

— H50 —

"Detective Williams is waking up," the nurse told the Five-0 team waiting in the hall. "Dr. Sampson said you may come, if you don't say anything.

They were all waiting when Danny opened his eyes. His gaze swept past his Five-0 friends, took in the room, and finally focused on the doctor.

"I know it's a cliché," he said weakly. "But where am I?"

"Honolulu General Hospital," the doctor said.

"Honolulu?" His incredulous voice was faint, but the pitch rose decidedly even as the volume fell. As he faded into unconscious again, Danny said, "Hawaii? How the hell did I get to Hawaii?"

— H50 —

Speechless, Steve McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua stared at each other, and then as one, turned their gazes on the doctor.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Sampson said hastily. "Amnesia is common in concussion. Many victims never remember the accident where they got hurt."

"But a whole year?" Kono said in disbelief. "Danny's been here longer than that."

Chin snorted. "He won't know us at all. Can you believe it's only been six months since we met."

"This was the first time he regained consciousness," the doctor offered. "I expect him to regain more of his memory as time passes. Trauma induced amnesia is hardly a surprise when a person's been blown up."

Steve laughed mirthlessly. "To hear Danny tell it, his whole time in Hawaii has been traumatic. He'd rather be back in New Jersey. Maybe he doesn't remember, because he doesn't want to."

Steve looked stricken, blaming himself for the bomb planted in Danny's car because the bomber thought it was Steve's car. Kono put her hand on her boss' arm. She didn't know what to say, because she was afraid he might be right.

"That's pupule," Chin Ho said forcefully. He remembered sitting in a bar with his friend. He had Danny's back and Danny had his. He wanted to remind them how Danny was willing to go to prison to stand with them; but he couldn't say anything with the doctor standing right there. "Danny's ohana. I could give you ten million examples of how he'd back us up, through thick or thin." The fateful number caught their attention as it was meant to. "Maybe he won't remember, but it will be because he's too badly hurt, not because he wants to blot us out of his memory."

He was shaking. He was so angry at Steve for suggesting Danny was a traitor. Chin was so afraid that they'd lost the friendship the four of them had built.

Kono went to her cousin, hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"We're forgetting how determined Danny is," she said, forcing calm and optimism into her voice. "He left his job, his family, everything he cared about to be close to his daughter. He doesn't back down. He doesn't give up. He won't give up now. He'll fight that amnesia like an armed suspect."

— H50 —

In cases of concussion, it was procedure to wake the patient periodically to make sure he remained coherent. Steve persuaded the doctor to allow the Five-0 members to remain with Danny through the night. After all, someone had tried to blow him up. Sampson agreed, but insisted that they take turns.

"One at a time," the doctor said. "The nurse can't do her job with all of you in here."

H50 —

**Awakenings**

First awakening:

"Hawaii? Really?" Danny asked the kind-eyed stranger looking down at him.

"'Fraid so, brah," Chin said compassionately.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions," the nurse said. "What's your name?"

"Danny Williams."

She made a note on a chart. "What's your occupation?"

"I am … was? … a homicide detective." Danny began to sweat. There was a mistake there, but he couldn't think what it was. How could he make a mistake about his own life?

Seeing his distress, the nurse hurried on to a topic she hoped would be safer. "Are you married?" Chin's quick headshake came too late to stop her.

Monitors showed an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Danny began to tremble, his weakness revealing his deep remorse — even after all these years — about the failure of his marriage. "Divorced," he said sadly.

"Do you have any kids?" Chin put in quickly.

The question was like soothing syrup on a sore throat. Vital signs drifted back to normal. Danny's trembling quieted and a smile eased the anxiety at his faulty memory.

"I have a daughter," he said softly. "Her name is Grace."

"I think that's enough," the nurse said, seeing he was tiring. "You're doing very well. Go back to sleep, but we'll check on you again later," she promised.

"Goody," Danny said sarcastically, drawing a quick grin from Chin.

Danny knew he'd exposed his hidden self to this stranger — a cop, he had to be a cop. But Danny knew, somehow he knew, that this man he didn't know would never betray him. Danny turned his back on his confusion and went to sleep.

— H50 —

Second awakening:

"This is why I hate hospitals. They tell you to rest, but they won't let you sleep," Danny said, when the nurse roused him. "Is that rational enough for you?"

"Sounds rational to me," Steve said. He emerged from the darkness to stand by Danny's dimly lit bedside. The commander had taken the middle watch in the dead of night, allowing Chin and Kono an unbroken night's sleep.

Danny understood the headache, the hospital, the concussion. He understood people watching and waking him. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. But one thing he didn't understand and he worried at it like a terrier. "Why am I in Hawaii?"

"We're not supposed to give you any answers," Steve said. "The doctor says you'll remember on your own soon enough."

"Maybe, but I never did remember the spaghetti sauce …," Danny answered. The nurse and Steve looked concerned at this less-than-rational statement. "… even though I saw it on the store video a dozen times. But I only lost a couple of minutes there. It takes hours to fly to Hawaii. How long …?"

"Shh, no questions," Steve reminded him. "So, this isn't the first time you've been concussed?" He might not be a detective, but he'd deduced the meaning of Danny's ramblings.

"Newark, May 18, 1996," Danny agreed, then faded off again.

"I wouldn't mark that down on as incoherence," Steve defended his friend to the nurse. "I'd say somehow spaghetti sauce gave Danny a concussion."

"Spaghetti sauce?" the nurse said doubtfully.

Steve shrugged. "That wouldn't be the strangest story he's told me."

— H50 —

Third awakening:

"Yes. I'm awake. Yes. I'm still Danny Williams. Yes. I'm still in Hawaii. God knows why," Danny snapped, as soon as the nurse touched his shoulder. His eyes were squinted half shut and his breathing was beginning to resemble that of a panting dog.

It was a funny thing about Danny. He complained — God knew he complained! — but he didn't complain about pain. He complained that Steve got him shot the day they met, but he'd never complained about his arm hurting. He'd complained that Steve was responsible for him hurting his knee, but he'd limped around with a cane for weeks without moaning and groaning. The only time Steve knew Danny was hurting was when he'd say, "Do you have to walk so fast?" or "Here, you drive."

"Isn't there something you can give him for the pain?" Steve asked on his friend's behalf.

"Tylenol," said the weary voice of experience from the bed. "That's all they'll give you for a concussion."

"He's got a broken collarbone, too," Steve reminded the nurse. He knew from first-hand experience that they were disproportionately painful.

"I'll get something," the nurse promised. She left the room.

Danny studied the tall man looming out of the half-light of the machines. "I should know you." It was a statement.

The tall stranger gave a small smile. Danny knew that irritating smile. The memory hovered. Like a name on the tip of his tongue, it tantalized, but refused to materialize.

"Yes, you should, but don't sweat it Enjoy it while you can. You'll be pissed when you remember," Steve predicted.

After taking his Tylenol, Danny drifted off again. The nurse asked if he'd remembered Steve.

"No," he said, regarding his sleeping partner fondly. "You'll know when he does. If he remembers me, he'll wake up angry. If he remembers everything, he'll wake up screaming,"

— H50 —

Fourth awakening:

Danny woke up screaming, "Grace! Grace!" His cry was so full of panic, it brought the doctor on the run from the nurse's station down the hall.

The nurse tried to calm Danny; then Kono was at her side, pressing Danny's unwounded shoulder back to the bed. He clutched at her arm.

"Kono, Grace?" he begged.

Her heart leapt. He knew her! He remembered!

She wanted to whoop with joy, but she kept her voice calm and reassuring. "Danny, she's fine. She's not hurt. I swear on my mother's grave."

Entering the room, Dr. Sampson saw the readings on the monitors shift suddenly from crisis to near normality.

The detective took over from the frightened father and eyed Kono suspiciously. "Your mother's not dead."

Kono gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. "That was a memory test and you passed. Welcome back, Danny."

"But Grace?" he pleaded.

"Danny, she's fine. You protected her. You threw yourself on top of her body to shield her. She's got a bruise on her elbow where it banged the ground and a scratch on her neck from your wristwatch. She's not hurt. She's safe at home with Rachel. Would I lie to you?"

"Never have."

"Never will," she promised with a smile.

Sampson inserted himself into the conversation.

"Do you know what day it is?"

Danny looked at him like he was crazy. "I've been concussed and unconscious and amnesic." He paused, wondering if he had that word right, then continued, "No, I don't know what day it is."

"Fair enough," Sampson said. "What do you remember, detective?"

"Everything." Danny lay back on his pillow. He felt weak. His head and shoulder ached abominably but his memories were even more painful. "I remember everything."

The doctor encouraged him to continue.

"I remember the explosion. I remember waking up in the hospital. I remember … not remembering, which is unsettling." Danny was fighting a losing battle for calm. "I remember not recognizing my friends or knowing why I came to Hawaii."

"Why did you come to Hawaii?"

"To be close to my daughter." Danny's voice broke, with anger or fear or grief — Kono couldn't tell. Maybe it was all three. "My daughter, who was climbing in my car when Steve called and said there was a bomb in it. My daughter, who was almost killed." Danny swallowed hard and put his free arm across his eyes as if to shut out the memories. "I remember everything, doc. Things I wish I didn't remember."

— H50 —

Danny made a marked improvement that day, so much so that he was released from the machines and allowed regular visitors. But as his physical condition improved, his mental state declined. He stared at the ceiling plucking at his blanket until his worried friends gave up trying to lift his spirits.

"We've got to go, partner," Steve said, gesturing at the others. "We'll be back later."

"Thanks for coming," Danny said with distant politeness.

"Danny?" Kono went to stand beside the bed. The detective could see the worry in her eyes and made an effort for the rookie's sake.

"I'm OK, kid, really. See, no more beeping machines or IVs. I'm just really tired and I've got an awful headache."

He certainly looked tired and drawn.

"Then we should let you rest," Kono said. She squeezed his good shoulder and hurried out the door before Danny could see her wipe tears from her eyes.

"We're going to find the guy who did this, brah," Chin reassured his friend.

"Right," Danny answered, not as if he really cared.

Baffled by this stranger, Chin and Steve retreated from the hospital room.

Finally alone, Danny released the tight rein on his emotions. Tears seeped from beneath his eyelids and trickled down his cheeks. So, of course, the day nurse came in right then to check on him. Danny rubbed his eyes dry, but she had seen.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. Julie was a motherly soul with gentle eyes who believed there was more to her job than taking temperatures and delivering lime green Jello.

"Not really," Danny answered.

"Come on," she coaxed. She'd seen his friends leave. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger," she suggested.

Once Danny started, he spilled all his worries, the little nagging ones and the big terrifying one.

"I don't know. I just don't know what I'll do," he said with uncharacteristic helplessness.

"I think you're worrying too much," Julie said. "You're tired and your head aches. That always makes problems seem bigger than they are. You have friends, good friends. They'll help you if you ask."

"I wouldn't know what to ask."

"Why don't you get some rest?" she suggested. "Things will look better when you feel better."

"Maybe." But he closed his eyes obediently and soon was asleep.

— H50 —

Dr. Sampson was coming on for the evening shift when the Five-0 team asked to talk to him. He took them into his office.

"Something wrong?"

Steve nervously ran his fingers through his hair. "Can a severe concussion cause a personality change?" he asked abruptly.

The doctor sat forward. "Have you noticed something?"

"Danny isn't acting like himself," the commander answered. "He's …" He wasn't sure how to continue.

"He's quiet, too quiet," Chin offered, acknowledging the old joke with a wry twist to his mouth.

"And he's not moving his hands around, either," Kono contributed.

"He's passive, apathetic," Chin said. "That's not Danny. That's the opposite of Danny Williams."

"The thing is, he sounded more normal when he had amnesia," Steve said. The other two nodded.

Someone tapped at the door, then Julie poked her head in. "I'm sorry, I wanted to catch you before I left," she apologized. "I wanted to talk to you about a patient. I can wait until you're done." She recognized the doctor's visitors. "Oh, are you worried, too?"

"Is this about Detective Williams?" Sampson asked.

"Yes, but …" She looked uncomfortable about discussing a patient in front of others.

"It's all right. They're listed as next of kin."

"Danny's next of kin are his 8-year-old daughter and his parents in New Jersey," Steve said. "We are his family."

"They're afraid the brain injury has caused a personality change," the doctor said. "He's abnormally quiet and apathetic."

"I think he's just feeling overwhelmed," Julie said. "He's feeling weak and doesn't know how he's going to manage when he goes home, especially with only one good arm. He lives all alone, right?"

They agreed.

"He could come to stay with me," Steve suggested. "I've got lots of room."

Kono and Chin exchanged a speaking glance, imagining Danny with Steve 24/7.

"No." "Bad idea, boss." They shook heads emphatically.

Julie didn't give Steve a chance to argue. She had serious concerns. "And he's worried about the insurance — health and car. All the paperwork seems like a tremendous effort when you're feeling lousy."

"He doesn't have to do it alone. We'll help him," Kono said earnestly.

"I told him he had friends he could count on," Julie said with a smile. "But it's the explosion that has made him so despondent."

"A brush with death will make anyone contemplate his mortality," Sampson said.

"Not his mortality," Julie said gently. "His daughter's."

Steve shook his head. He should have known. "He blames himself, doesn't he? He blames himself for Grace almost getting killed."

"I didn't entirely understand what he meant, but he said, 'Rachel was right. I'm not safe to be around. I won't even try to fight her this time.' He looked wretched."

"Oh, Danny, Danny." Steve rubbed his face with both hands. "Danny loves his daughter more than anything. He moved from New Jersey to Hawaii to be near her after his ex — that's Rachel — remarried. There was an incident another time, not as serious as this, and Rachel threatened to take him to court to end his visitation privileges."

"Would she do it again?" Sampson asked.

"No, I talked to her." The doctor heard steel in McGarrett's voice. "Hasn't she brought Grace to visit?"

"No, you're the only visitors he's had," Julie said.

"So, knowing this, you think Williams is acting normally?" the doctor asked the Five-0 team.

"Yes, any threat to Grace makes him crazy," Steve said.

"And if he's the threat …" Kono's eyes teared up at the extent of Danny's misery.

"But now that we know what the problem is, we can help. Right, boss?" Chin said.

"Right. I've got a job for you two, but the first thing I'm going to do is go talk to Rachel."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Boom: Part 3**

**Hawaii Five-0 Fanfic. This is a Season 1 show even before Jenna shows up.  
>I don't own the characters. I'd be nicer to them if I did.<strong>

**Author's Notes: **_I appreciate all the long and lovely reviews, but I have been unable to reply because of the big error message problem. I think they may have fixed the problem, but I need some new reviews in order to test it. No pressure.  
>Thanks to everyone who had kind things to say about Boom and Danny Didn't Come. You'll (maybe) be happy to hear that the reviews to DDC have got me started writing a multichapter story cleaning up the season finale mess. I hate to post until a story's done, however. Fortunately I have other stories that take place in my Five-0 universe (with Riley and Aku and all). Stay tuned.<em>

— H50 —

"But now that we know what the problem is, we can help. Right, boss?" Chin said.

"Right. I've got a job for you two, but the first thing I'm going to do is go talk to Rachel," Steve said.

— H50 —

"I thought you were going to bring Grace to see Danny," Steve said, trying hard to hide his anger.

"I meant to, but Grace doesn't want to come. She's hiding," Rachel answered, distress evident in her voice. She rubbed her hands together, no, she was actually wringing her hands, Steve realized. "I don't understand. She hasn't done this … since she was little," the woman finished lamely.

Steve's expression pried more information out of her.

"Danny and I were fighting. We thought Grace was asleep, but we must have gotten too loud. Danny went to get blankets to sleep on the couch and he found Grace hiding in the linen cupboard. We hadn't even realized she was out of bed." To this day, Rachel was ashamed of the emotional burden they had piled on their daughter. Danny was, too. As angry as they sometimes got with each other, they tried desperately to protect Grace from their battles.

Steve thought he understood. "So, your fighting scared Grace into hiding? And now the explosion has done the same."

"No, Grace is a Williams," the ex-Mrs. Williams said almost proudly. "The therapist helped us understand that Grace wasn't afraid, she was ashamed. She blamed herself for our breakup."

"She can't be blaming herself for the car bomb," Steve exclaimed.

"I don't see how, but I think she is. She won't listen to me. She just says she's been bad and Danno won't love her any more," Rachel said with tears in her eyes. "Maybe if you talk to her."

"I'll try," he said doubtfully, but maybe being from outside the immediate family would help.

Rachel pointed out Grace's hiding place. A stranger would have never suspected it. The towel cupboard in the bathroom was chest high for an adult. It required a step stool to climb in, and the stool was not out of place in the bathroom.

The commander rapped his knuckles softly against the cupboard door. "Miss Williams. This is the police. You're going to have to come out now," he said sternly. He pulled open the door. Grace was curled up on a pile of fluffy towels.

"This is a pretty clever hiding place," Steve chatted. "Cozy, too."

"I shouldn't be cozy. I'm the worse daughter ever. I made Daddy's car blow up."

"It wasn't your fault," Steve began, but Grace interrupted.

"Daddy said run, don't touch the door. But my backpack banged the door and made it close. I made the Camaro blow up. I got Daddy hurt. It's all my fault."

Steve was shocked by the girl's intensity and said the first thing that came into his mind. "But I thought it was my fault."

"You weren't even there," Grace protested.

Steve gently pulled the unresisting youngster out of the cupboard and cradled her against his chest.

"But the bomb was meant for me. They thought it was my car, because I drive it all the time. It's my fault you were scared and Danny was hurt." Steve grinned suddenly. "Let's see, what would your father say to me? Something like, 'Listen, you Neanderthal moron. It's the man who planted the bomb who's responsible. The … man … who … planted … the bomb! Not you. It's not always all about you, Steven.'"

Grace had to giggle because Steve managed a halfway decent impersonation of her father. She felt more hopeful. Steve would be mad at her if she'd hurt his partner. If he wasn't mad, maybe she wasn't guilty after all.

"And what would he say to me," she said with a little anxiety but not as much as before.

Steve touched his forehead to hers. "He'd say, 'Danno loves you.'"

Grace hugged him. "Can we go see daddy now?"

"I think we'd better," Steve agreed. "Because, you know what, I think he blames himself for the bomb, too."

"Then we'd better set him straight," Grace declared, sounding more like herself.

"We'd better."

— H50 —

Steve's phone rang as he was following Rachel's car to the hospital to catch the tail end of visiting hours.

"Go, Chin."

"We got 'em."

"Both of them? Already? I'm impressed."

"The governor signed off on it, no problem. And we got lucky with the other. We ran into Riley on the way out of the hospital and asked for a recommendation. He volunteered to do it himself," Chin said. "I think he'd even do it for free. That missionary upbringing, you know."

"He won't have to. I got that fixed with Rachel. We're on our way to the hospital now." Steve explained about Grace's fears.

"Poor kid," Chin said.

"She'll be better once she talks to Danny, and so will he," Kono said over the speakerphone.

In their respective cars, the Five-0 folks all smiled. The love between Danno and Grace was enough to turn the hardest heart to mush.

"Let's go cheer up our patient," Steve ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the others answered willingly.

— H50 —

The adults stood back and let Grace work her magic on her father. She clung to his good hand and apologized. When he understood that Grace felt guilty, Danny did the only honorable thing. He lied to his daughter.

"Baby, if that bump had caused the explosion, it would have blown up right then. The bomb was probably on a timer from when I opened the door. Right?" he appealed to Steve.

The commander had his partner's back. "Your father's right," he told Grace.

Relieved of her worry, Grace chattered about how she was going to help take care of Danny while he recovered. "I can make sandwiches and cookies and wash the dishes."

"I don't know, monkey," Danny said uncertainly, his eyes on Rachel.

Seeing Danny and Grace together had put her at peace with the decision Steve had forced on her.

"Your father will need to rest, Grace. But we'll definitely have to make up for that weekend you missed," she said. At Danny's hopeful, disbelieving look, she added, "Steven persuaded me that this is one of the unavoidable risks of Grace having prominent parents. Risks like carjacking."

Danny's eyes went to Steve who just shrugged a 'no big t'ing' shrug.

"Come on, Grace. It's past your bedtime. We'll see your father tomorrow evening, after he gets home." Dr. Sampson planned to release Danny as soon as he came on duty at 5.

"I'll need your help when I get home, monkey," Danny admitted to his daughter. He patted his sling-covered left arm.

"Well … we've made arrangements for that, if it's OK with you," Kono said with mild unease.

Chin gestured toward the door and took up the story, "We found someone who can stay with you for a couple of days."

"Do the cooking and the heavy lifting," paramedic Ab Riley said, poking his head around the doorframe. "All those things that are tricky when one arm is in a sling. I can fill out insurance forms, too."

"Riley!"

The paramedic bowed. "I can cook. I can clean. And I need to build up my treasures in heaven," the son of medical missionaries said seriously. "And the overtime won't hurt," he added with a grin.

"Overtime?" Danny was utterly — but pleasantly — confused.

"Mr. Edwards offered to pay me."

"Stan?"

"Stanley said, if he can come to you for help, you can come to him," Rachel said. "We're family Danny, like it or not."

"My complicated family," Danny moaned. He grinned at his daughter. "But it's worth it."

Rachel, Grace and Riley departed with promises to see Danny after he was released, leaving the Five-0 team alone.

"We'd better go, too," Steve suggested.

"No." The patient was firm. "Why did Grace say you felt guilty about the bomb?"

"Because I'm in charge," Steve attempted.

Danny made a noise like a game show buzzer. "Lie. The suspect is being evasive."

"He's too good at reading people, boss," Chin said. "You'd better come clean. Danny might see something we haven't."

"He'll have to know eventually," Kono added.

"Know what?" Now Danny was deeply suspicious.

Steve took a deep breath. "The caller said the bomber thought the Camaro was my car." Steve squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see magma rising behind Danny's eyes.

"Didn't I tell you to read that book, 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'?"

Steve opened one eye. Danny appeared conflicted, with some other emotion watering down his anger.

"You're not mad?"

"I'm mad. But right now I'm more mad at the bomber than I am at you, Steven. Enjoy it while you can." He pointed at Chin. "You, tell me what the caller said."

"He said he wanted to warn you about the bomb, but he probably wouldn't have warned Steve if the Camaro had been his car."

"No, no, no. I want his exact words."

Chin paused, marshaled his memory, and said, "He said, 'Warn Detective Williams that there's a bomb in his car.' And I told Steve, who called you; then I asked the caller why and he said, 'Because they thought it belonged to McGarrett. If it was McGarrett, I would not have worried. But Detective Williams and I have a bond of trust.' Then he hung up. The call came from a burn phone. We found it in a trashcan. No prints. The forensics guys haven't finished processing the evidence from the explosion, so we don't have signature to match with a bomber."

"We don't have any ID on the bomber or the caller," Kono confessed. "Of course, we've been kinda distracted." She patted Danny's foot.

Danny tilted his head at Chin. "The caller said we have a 'bond of trust'?"

"Yes, why, does that mean something?" Chin asked eagerly.

Danny lay back on his pillow. "It was Sang Min."

"Sang Min!" Steve exclaimed.

Danny nodded. "He said that when I cuffed him in the Camaro, just before he stole it."

Sang Min! That wasn't hopeful. They'd been trying to find him for months with no success.

Steve rubbed his head. "Well, that gives us a place to start. Let's see if he has any connection with known bombers."

Steve started to move toward the door, but Danny caught his arm. His fingers gripped so tightly, Steve protested the pain. Danny eased his grasp, but didn't release his friend's wrist.

"Steve. Thank you." Considering he'd expected to be bawled out, McGarrett looked baffled. Danny elaborated, "In the rules of civilized society, when a person saves your life, it's considered polite to say 'thank you.'"

"You mean the phone call?"

Danny blew through his lower lip, making the hair that had fallen in his eyes dance. "No, I don't mean the call. Not that I don't appreciate it, because I do. I meant the business with Rachel. Thanks."

Danny often said he'd have no reason for being without Grace.

Steve gripped his shoulder. "You can pay me back by answering a question," Steve said. "How did you get a concussion from spaghetti sauce?"

Danny looked at him the way a schoolteacher looks at a student who hasn't even tried to do his homework. "It was in a can!" he said, as if it was obvious.

— H50 —

As promised, Dr. Sampson had examined Danny when he came on duty the next day and released the detective to go home. As they waited for the nurse to wheel Danny out, Chin and Kono confessed failure in the investigation.

"We need another experienced detective to help us," Kono hinted.

Danny had something else on his mind.

"Where's Steve?" he asked suspiciously.

"He's bringing the car around," Chin said.

Danny grimaced at the thought of climbing one-handed into Steve's Silverado.

Riley was waiting in the lobby. He joined them as they went out to the driveway. Waiting for them was a silver Chevrolet Camaro with a sunroof — exactly the same model as the one that had blown up. Standing beside it wearing a borrowed chauffeur's hat, Steve McGarrett swung the door open.

"Your ride, sir."

Danny gaped at the car, at Steve, at Chin and at Kono.

"The governor decided the loss of your car was job related. She signed off on the replacement. Kono and I spent half the day yesterday tracking down the same make and model," Chin said.

"Of course, it doesn't have the pursuit package, yet," Kono said. "But we can get that installed before you're ready to drive again."

Danny ran his hand over the smooth finish of the open passenger door. "I thought I left all my family in Jersey," he said in a tight voice.

— H50 —

Before they could help him into the car, Danny's newly returned cell phone rang. The caller was unknown. The detective had a suspicion who it was even before he answered it.

"Glad you're feeling better, detective." The voice was clouded with static, but Danny knew it.

"You can forget the sound effects, Sang Min. I know it's you."

Danny's words sent McGarrett scrambling for his phone, demanding a trace. Danny rolled his eyes — as if Sang Min didn't know that old trick.

Sang Min laughed. His voice came through clear and distinctive.

"You are too clever for me, detective."

"Thanks for the save," Danny said. "Can I return the favor? Give yourself up and I will do everything in my power to help you."

Sang Min chuckled as if Danny had made a joke.

"No, really. I know the governor," Danny said drily. "I'll ask her to grant you a pardon."

Danny ignored the extremely odd looks he was getting from his Five-0 friends.

"Just because I saved your life?" Sang Min joked uncertainly.

"My life?" Danny's voice rose; then choked with emotion. "Your spies are letting you down. My daughter was climbing into my car when you called. My daughter!" Danny swallowed hard and batted away Riley's hand as the paramedic tried to check the pulse of his agitated patient. "I mean it, Sang Min. I will beg the governor on my knees to grant you a pardon, but you have to turn yourself in. Think about it," the detective said urgently. "You could be with your wife and son again."

The passion and patent truthfulness in Danny's voice caught Sang Min off guard and the mention of his family grabbed him by the throat. He couldn't speak.

"I mean it. It's your chance to live a normal life again."

Sang Min sighed. "I believe you, detective. You are an honorable man. But my life was never normal and I'm afraid I have walked too far on this path to turn back now."

Danny wiped his eyes. "So be it," he said wearily.

Steve was pointing at his phone, indicating that they'd traced the call.

"You've been awfully chatty today," Danny said suspiciously.

"But you have been doing all the talking," Sang Min pointed out. "I thought I would send you a get well present. I'm sure Commander McGarrett knows how to find it by now."

"Sang Min."

"Goodbye, detective. We are even now." The phone went dead.

"No, I owe you," Danny said quietly. He slumped back in the wheelchair.

His friends were gearing up for a raid on the phone location.

"Steve, be careful," Danny said. "Sang Min let you trace that call. He doesn't like you as much as he likes me."

Steve gestured "yeah, yeah, whatever."

"If you can't be careful for your sake, be careful for Kono's. He's threatened her twice, you know."

The priming of Chin's shotgun was Danny's answer. "I haven't forgotten," Kono's cousin said. "And I don't like Sang Min as much as you do."

"And get away from my new car," Danny added when Steve cast a longing look at the Camaro. "It's not going on a raid without me."

"All right. Peace. Chin, you drive." That made sense, because Chin had a load of tactical gear in the back of his Traverse, which was in a nearby parking lot.

"I still got to drive it before you did, Danny," Steve taunted in a deliberately childish way. He put the chauffeur's cap on Riley's head. "See you later," the commander said.

"Oh, I hope not," the paramedic answered.

They watched the Five-0 team race away. "What do you think they're going to find?" Riley asked.

"My mother had a cat," Danny said. "If it liked you, it would leave presents on your bed — dead mice, dead birds. One time it was a half-dead crow. That was a memorable and messy afternoon. Anyway, I think Sang Min is a lot like that cat. I think he left me a dead car bomber as a get well present."

"At least it's original," Riley said. "Better than flowers."

"True and true," Danny agreed. He sighed. "I guess there are some people you just can't save."

The paramedic had confronted that quandary before. He gently touched the bandage on Danny's head. "Save the ones you can," he reminded his patient, as he flipped up the footplates so Danny could stand.

"Right." Danny gestured at the Camaro. "Home, James."

Absalom Riley got a faraway look in his eyes as he supervised Danny's short, successful walk to the passenger seat. "James, now that's a nice Biblical name," he mused.

Danny rolled his eyes, breathed in the new car smell, and smiled at the new picture of Grace that had been posted above the visor and the small, but visible, "Welcome to New Jersey" pin that was fastened next to it. His new car. He was feeling better every second.

**The End**


End file.
